The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch

Things To Do In Tucson

Cinema

The Loft Cinema

First Friday Shorts: If you haven't been yet, it's time. On the first Friday of each month, Red Meat’s Max Cannon (yes, that cartoonist you love to send us letters about) hosts the biggest, baddest short film contest in town. Bring your short film (before the show starts, obviously) and the friendly staff at the Loft will play the first 15 that are submitted. Every film plays for at least 3 minutes, but after that the audience can call for respite and convince Max to ring his infamous gong. If you don’t have your own film, come to see what your fellow Tucsonans are doing. Just remember: The monthly grand prize is $200, and the yearly grand prize is $1,000—that's a lot of cheddar. 9 p.m. Friday, March 3. The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $6.

Martha Redbone: Martha Redbone's music is known for its unique mixture of Native American sounds with folk and blues influences. Her newest performance—billed as Martha Redbone’s Bone Hill: The Concert—is a moving musical featuring a 12-member cast who takes the audience on a journey of American exploration. The show is meant to showcase family, history and identity and the vanquishing of racial barriers. Come explore the many dimensions of Martha Redbone's music and performance and learn about the spirit of American discovery. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2. Tucson Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. $20.

The Very Big Show (Of Support): With the GOP Congress and Conman-in-Chief Donald Trump looking for ways to eliminate funding for the organization, Planned Parenthood may have never faced a more dire future. Show your support for the cause of safe and confidential sexual health care for women and men at the Very Big Show (Of Support), featuring a jamboree of fun. You’ve got circus troupes with Flam Chen and Cirque Roots. You’ve got laughs with cartoonist David Fitzsimmons and Unscrewed Theater. You’ve got music from Desert Voices chorus vocalist Katina Murphy, mariachi performer Diana Olivares and house band Michael P. and the Gullywashers. And to make the circus complete, you’ve got mimes, clowns, jugglers and much more, including an appearance by Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, who has some experience being the ringleader of a local circus. 7 p.m. Saturday, March 4. The Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets range from $25-$100. More info at rialtotheatre.com.

Arts and Culture

Yoga at the Market: Achieve your perfect Zen every Sunday from March to May before grabbing fresh fruits and vegetables at the FoodInRoot farmer's market. Led by Ashley Celeste Leal, the yoga class is sure to make you feel connected to nature and the beautiful scenery of Tucson that we call home. 9-10 a.m. Sunday, March 5. St. Philip's Plaza Farmer's Market, 4280 N. Campbell Ave. $5. Children under 12 are free.

Rope Workshop with Cody Hayman: Ever have the dream of being a circus acrobat? Learning rope techniques with Cody Hayman is the event for you. The course will focus on C-shapes and open drops. It’s an advanced workshop for students with experience. Don't forget to bring your carabiners and climbing shoes. You need to reserve your spot before attending. 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 7. The Circus Academy of Tucson, 400 W. Speedway Blvd. $40.

Community

Monster Jam: The mammoth monster trucks Alien Invasion, El Toro Loco, Grave Digger and more will be rolling into the Tucson Convention Center to do what monster trucks do: Crush all cars that stand in their path in a stunning display of metallic testosterone. Friday, March 3, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 4, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 5, at 2 p.m. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets range from $20-$45.

Fit Fest 2017: Learn to run like a cheetah and be as strong as an elephant at the Reid Park Zoo’s Fit Fest, a workout event for every age and fitness level. You’ll find a variety of certified instructors from Turbo Kick, Insanity, Zumba, yoga and more. And you can get a wellness check. It’s 4:30- 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 E. Zoo Court. Adults $15, kids $5.

Reid Park Zoo

Dr. Seuss Birthday Party: Whether you love Yooks and Zooks or Thing One or Thing Two, you’ll want to get to the Valley of the Moon for the Dr. Seuss Birthday Party for lots of good fun that is funny. Gather beneath the shade of a Truffula Tree on the lawn of Tucson’s own enchanted fairyland and listen to volunteers read the good doctor’s books. And be on the lookout for the likes of the Biffer-Baum Birds, the Long-Legger Kwong and Brown Bar-ba-loots. It’s from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 4. Valley of the Moon, 2544 E. Allen Road. Free.

Food

Tucson Media Works

Tucson Wing Festival: There’s just one wing to rule them all and in the sauces bind them—and this is your chance to find out which wing that is. Forty local restaurants are competing the the Lord of the Wings crown, with 30 breweries on hand to provide the suds you need to wash down those chicken parts. A panel of judges will issue their judgments, but you can be a judge yourself, because food and beer is included in your ticket price. Two bands and a DJ will also be there to supply live music. Beer, wings and music—a perfect Saturday! Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 4. Rillito Park Race Track, 4502 N. First Ave. $40 general admission, $85 VIP admission.
Feasting for Felines: The Hermitage Cat Shelter, a non-profit, no-kill shelter for cats that have chronic health issues, is hosting a fundraiser night at Illegal Pete's. All you have to do is mention the Hermitage at checkout and Illegal Pete's will donate 50 percent of all proceeds to the shelter. Lend a helping hand to these kitty-cats and enjoy some delicious Mexican food while you're at it! 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, March 8. Illegal Pete's Tucson, 876 E. University Blvd. Bring money for food.
Percentage Night at La Cocina: If you love La Cocina's food, then head out to the downtown café’s percentage night in support of Clínica Amistad. Have a meal in the courtyard, listen to music, drink some booze and participate in the silent auction. Clínica Amistad is a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare for low-income communities. 5-10 p.m. Tuesday, March 7. La Cocina Restaurant & Cantina, 201 N. Court Ave. Bring money for food, booze and auction items.

Music

Alpha Mule: The faraway pedal steel guitars, the banjos and the roiling acoustics recall trains and the railroad earth, spaces between great cities and small towns, open-road longing with a slight—ever-so-slight—desperation humming beneath it all. Alpha Mule can do that in song, instrumentation and unexpected-yet-hummable phrases like “She stitched up the harness while I was looking in her eyes.” Muso types reductively label them Americana but we down here at TW say the willowy din created by this Los Angeles duo—which includes former Tucsonan Joe Forkan— is bluegrass and folk and rock ’n’ roll and country and Dave Alvin and Giant Sand and the great Sonoran Desert and … Celebrate the release of the Alpha Mule’s debut LP, Peripheral Vision on Saturday, March 4 at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress. 7 p.m. 21+. Free.

Whitney Rose: Whitney Rose doesn’t sound Canadian in sort of the same way that The Band never sounded Canadian. She sounds like she’s from somewhere below Ohio … Like Tennessee or Texas, like Bob Wills flows in her bloodstream—those waltz times ditties and fiddles and accordions. Like she was raised in a place where her first drunk experience was on Genessee beer listening to Tony Jo White while sitting on the hood of a rusty Pontiac. Truly. A song like “Analog” is pure backward gaze; indeed, she worms her way into hipster hearts singing fondly of scratched vinyl and pure sound, but the metaphor is bigger-picture stuff, about one-on-one human relations and “lazy rivers where I can cool my heels.” Really, really pretty stuff. Her new EP South Texas Suite —follow-up to 2015’s career defining, Raul Malo-helmed Heartbreaker of the Year—just dropped in January. Tuesday, March 7 at Club Congress. 7 p.m. $8-$10. 21+

Trunkweed: Goddamn do Trunkweed’s melodies stick in the skull. And they sound like super-smart film and lit buffs who bailed on their studies after discovering surf guitars and a copy of Wire’s Pink Flag in dad’s record collection. This Maryland indie-guitar combo ride the post-teen sardonic pop tip with so much necessary exuberance—like they made it up themselves. They blend irresistible riffs and sugary bass melodies with lyrical hooks like, “I don’t want to grow up too soon, locked in my room getting really high.” Also, they expertly represent a rising sect of new, young Trump-hating indie rockers, and put what little coin they earn where their mouths—they’ve actually donated profits from music sales to ACLU. Yeah! With Desert Beat on Thursday, March 9 at Sky Bar, 536 N. 4th Ave. 9 p.m. 21+. Free.

The Rumjacks: You gotta adore any band who’d share the stage with Gogol Bordello and the mighty punk’s-not-dead combo U.K. Subs. It just makes sense when you hear these guys. They’re Aussies but their hearts belong to Celtic folk and shot-and-suckerpunch punk rock, It’s not dissimilar to The Tossers, and they’d kill on a bill with Dropkick Murphys. Like Dropkick, The Rumjacks can easily transform subtle everyday yarns into major barroom dramas with shouts, foot-stomps and singsong gang choruses. Their power melodies are purely Irish, and the riffs themselves sound like they’re have their own tattoos. You can practically smell the flat tap beer and nicotine sweat when you listen to any of the three albums they’ve dropped since forming in ’08. With Fort Worth and Muskhog on Thursday, March 9 at The Surly Wench, 424 N. 4th Ave. $7. 21+.

Orange Blossom Special: Their current tour is tellingly branded “Live, Loud & in a Dive,” and that should tell you all you need to know. This Orange County power trio specializes in big, four-on-floor guitar hooks, and classic self-referential rock honesty (“How can I love you/When I don’t even love myself?”), with moments of hoary bombast (“She thinks her shit don’t stink”). It’s stuff precious few do anymore, and would easily appeal to fans of Rocket From the Crypt, even AC/DC. They’re hitting Tucson in support of their sophomore album, the rifftastic Here Goes Everything. With The Time Being, and Still Life Telescope on Saturday, March 4 at The Loudhouse, 915 W. Prince. $5. 8 p.m. 21+.